


Life Advice and Quidditch Stars

by sunset_oasis



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: F/F, Gen, M/M, postwar / next-gen AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 04:48:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11752341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunset_oasis/pseuds/sunset_oasis
Summary: Albus Severus Potter was feeling miserable and regretful of a decision he made.  Marcus Flint and Oliver Wood offered a new perspective of looking at things for him.





	Life Advice and Quidditch Stars

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

 

After that  _disaster_  with the time turner, mixed up timelines, and things he didn't  _ever_  want to experience again, he finally landed home.

But due to some error the time turner and its running out of magical power, completely broken, he ended up nearly too many months after when he first started, missing most of the school year.

Al had always been smart, and perhaps if he put a little more effort into the studies in the remaining months, acing the end of year exams would've been easy. Even if he didn't get straight O's, he should probably still be able to get passable results. But he just felt tired of everything after coming back, bitter at the time he'd lost. And since he'd always gotten perfect grades in the past few years, the perfectionist in him wondered if there was any point of taking the exams if he wasn't going to get perfect grades. At that time, it seemed like the most rational idea just to repeat the year again.

It was a decision he was soon regretting, as the summer came. Sure, he got Scorpius with him – Scorpius, who had only decided to repeat the year  _for_  Al – and it wasn't like he got many friends outside Scorpius either, but the realization that he would be a whole year behind all his original classmates was now hitting hard.

He wished he hadn't been so stubborn.

A year seemed so long, so behind, and he wondered what all other people must be gossiping right now, feeling empty and hollow.

 

* * *

 

He immediately grabbed onto the chance when Mum asked him if he wanted to come to the Harpies practice with her. Since it was either going to see her practice or stay at home with Dad – which he was pretty damn sure would be awkward – he agreed quickly.

As Al gazed at Mum and her team soaring in the air, he got lost in thought again – lamenting all the things happened in the past year and regretting his decision to repeat the year instead of trying to cram everything in the remaining time.

When he refocused again, he noticed that two men had sat down near him. They didn't seem notice him at first, and was arguing loudly about the latest Quidditch statistics instead. And then the one with sandy brown hair turned slightly, and Al instantly recognized him as Oliver Wood, the current captain of Puddlemore United. Probably at least half of his housemates had a crush on the famous keeper. Which must mean the other man was –

Marcus Flint also turned around, saw Al, and Al could see both of the men recognizing who he was. Al suddenly wanted to run, because he didn't want to listen to what the wizarding public wanted to say about him, he didn't want to firsthand hear the awful rumors that'd been the topic of The Prophet for hell lot longer than comfortable.

However, before he got a chance to run, Marcus Flint spoke first, "Ginny Weasley's son, yeah? Would you happen to know the secret formation the Harpies would be using this Saturday?"

Al blinked, surprised that  _this_  was what he was asked about.

"Ever classy, Flint, asking the son for tips against his mother," Oliver tutted disapprovingly, before leaning in eagerly, "so  _do_  you know?"

 

* * *

 

Al wasn't much interested in Quidditch, but he found himself surprisingly enjoying Oliver and Marcus's company. Perhaps it was because they didn't seem to care that he was Harry Potter's son, they didn't look at him strangely or with distaste for being the  _Slytherin_  son of Harry Potter, and they never showed signs of caring about all the rumors surrounding he and Scorpius much frowned upon friendship – unlike the rest of the wizarding public who seemed to think was  _their_  business who he made friends with, just because his father was Harry Potter.

They were kind of refreshing. Hilarious and fun to be around with, even for a non Quidditch player like Al. They had some kind of enthusiasm that wasn't often seen in adults in their 40s.

He soon found himself looking more and more forward to meeting them at the Quidditch stadium every week.

 

* * *

 

Al wasn't sure why he suddenly felt compelled to tell them about his regret of redoing the year because he'd been such a goddamn perfectionist at that time. Perhaps he hoped that, unlike other adults who might say "well haven't we already told you to do just that, and you were the one insisting to repeat the year", they might be more understanding. Because they always seemed so different from other adults.

Marcus looked uncharacteristically thoughtful at his confession.

"A year might seem like a lifetime when you're a teenager," he told Al, "but it isn't, actually. You might feel like you're severely behind everyone else, that you'll never catch up again –" the words were so on point that Al bit his lips, uncomfortable at being seen through— "but it _isn't_. In the grander scheme of things, it's just a very small part of your life. Don't worry too much."

"It's just like the other team scoring a goal more than yours," Oliver added, "they might be ahead, but it's not that much a difference in the long run, and you've still got a lot of chance to win."

Al guessed that he shouldn't really be surprised that a Quidditch metaphor would somehow appeared in their conversation.

"Sharing life stories without me?" a female voice said, joining them. "How rude of you two."

"My apologies, Spinnet," Marcus drawled, "next time we'll remember to send you an engraved invitation."

"That's better," she grinned, and looked at Al. "Hi there, I'm Alicia. I hope these two aren't boring you?"

"Us, boring?" Oliver feigned hurt. "How could you, Alicia?"

"And that's your invitation cancelled," Marcus said, mock stern.

Al wasn't really sure if he believed them or not about the redoing a year thing, but he suddenly found himself worrying slightly less.

It was an improvement, he supposed.

 

* * *

 

Marcus and Oliver convinced his Mum to let them take Al to dinner, along with Alicia and her wife Katie. They took him to a restaurant which they told him was opened by Madam Hooch, the flying coach at Hogwarts before Coach Higgs. After retiring from Hogwarts, she'd opened a Quidditch themed restaurant.

"You're brilliant, kid," Oliver told him. "You'll catch up soon enough. Probably read two years worth material in a year and you'll be able to get into your old class again. But even if you don't, it's not that much a big deal. Like Marcus said, a year might seem long right now, but looking back, it really isn't that much a disaster you think it is right now. And since you said you don't play Quidditch, you do have twice the free time more than people who do."

"Twice? Not all captains are like you, Oliver," Katie said. "Jeez, you remember the five a.m. Quidditch practices in the weekends, Alicia?"

"Well, gotta wake up early so the pitch wouldn't be stolen away from sneaky Slytherins," Oliver said, matter-of-factly.

"So sly and so ambitious," Marcus drawled. "You sure you weren't sorted wrong?"

As the group bantered on, Al found himself gradually gotten more relaxed and less worrying.

Perhaps he would be able to survive the upcoming school year after all.

And suddenly, the world was looking brighter than before.

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](https://ff-sunset-oasis.tumblr.com)


End file.
